Zen Mama

I'm always looking for ways to give my kids snacks which are yummy, easy to pack and good for them. Recently, it's been fresh fruit, drinking yogurt and cheese sticks after school, but they do get special treats once in a while! And who doesn't like a chewy, chocolate chip cookie? It's so much easier to stop by the store and buy a box of packaged cookies on the run (I've done that many times in a crunch), but when you stop to read the ingredients on a box of store-bought cookies, you'll think twice about filling their little bodies with all that high fructose corn syrup, chemicals, preservatives and artificial flavorings. So when I can make the time, I prefer to prepare them homemade goodies. We love oatmeal in our household and it's a good way punch up the fiber count in your diet. Here, I've adapted a oatmeal raisin chocolate chip cookie recipe by adding some heart-healthy walnuts and dried cranberries -- they were a big hit with the kid...

Our recent family trip to Chicago was another food adventure. One of our favorite lunch spots was Lyfe Kitchen, at 413 N. Clark Street in River North, Chicago. Here, they serve great food that makes you feel healthy as well. I love that they have a fresh herb garden right at their entrance, and gluten free, vegan & vegetarian, and everything (for those who eat anything) menus. My 7 year and 9 year old boys loved their flatbreads, sweet corn chowder and Thai Curry Bowl with marinated tofu or chicken. We also tried their Quinoa crunch bowl and Kale Caesar salads--all very tasty! For weight watchers, nothing on the menu exceeds 600 calories. I found kale and quinoa welcome healthy additions on many menus during this trip and am going to start cooking more with them. Wish we could bring this place home with us to Paris! (Hmmm... Business idea??)

Hearty Lentil Stew There are so many ways to customize this dish--make it vegetarian, add sausages and make it a heartier dish, add more bouillon to make it a thinner soup, or add more lentils and veggies to make it thicker... Any way you spin it, this is a destined to become a favorite, simple one-pot dinner to make, even on a weeknight. Here's a version I've created from a couple of different recipes which always leaves my two sons and my husband licking their plates and asking for more. This recipe serves about 6 people as a dinner serving. Ingredients : 350 grams dried Lentils (can be brown, green or lentilles de Puy) 1 tbsp olive oil 2 yellow or white onions, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 2 carrots, peeled and diced 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced 850ml/1-1/2 pints of hot chicken broth 400g can of peeled, diced tomatoes 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp of paprika sprig of fresh rosemary (dried is OK too) sprig of fresh thyme  (d...